Plant Equipment and Hire February 2018 | Page 23

ON THE GROUND take care of the transport. The company has invested in a fleet of 18 rough-terrain trucks, which will supplement its current fleet of normal road trucks. “Logistics is a significant part of this project, and one of the major challenges,” says Faber. Dealing with the bumpy road The journey to Walikale and from there to the mine is bumpy, but rewarding. There is no doubt that further challenges await the brave and competent team at Bisie. These challenges will probably never totally disappear. Investing in the DRC is a high-risk strategy; building a mine from scratch in the eastern parts of the DRC is, well, not for the faint-hearted. The major risks, says Robinson, are the infrastructure constraints, political risks, the artisanal question, and security. The artisanal issues have been dealt with, and may be on the back burner. It has become way too difficult for artisanal miners to get to the ore body, which outcropped in the past, but has now been mined out on surface. The political and security risks remain, as the Congolese population becomes impatient with Laurent Kabila’s lethargy and refusal to call new elections. The biggest question mark, however, is infrastructure. To get supplies and equipment in, and product out, will always be a high-risk, high-cost endeavour, even when the roads are upgraded. Nevertheless, Bisie is an exemplary example of the old proverb, ‘where there is a will there is a way’. When Kamstra asked Robinson (who is a local Congolese and at that stage worked for an NGO) about Bisie four years ago, Robinson replied that they shouldn’t touch it. Today, Bisie is less than two years away from producing conflict-free tin, and Robinson is employed by Alphamin. Alphamin did many things right in Walikale. Through Robinson and Kamstra, they have built strong relationships with the communities, artisanal miners, and government representatives. Faber and his mining team, including the contractors on site, are the best in the business and familiar with the operating environment in the eastern parts of the DRC. Although there are still isolated reports of violence every so often, it seems that peace has returned to Walikale; the guns have gone silent. The only noise on the hill at Bisie is that of 300 miners building a mine — possibly the richest tin mine on earth. A lot has changed for that mysterious hill at Bisie. It is now a beacon of hope and a kingpin in the international tin market. And that, frankly, is enough reason to tick all the boxes, even if I was one of those desk-bound, white-knuckled, and sweaty- palmed punters. ■ Work on the main drive is progressing steadily. Local contractor Relient has been working with the Bisie team. Work on the ventilation shaft at Bisie is progressing at a steady rate. A view of the construction from base camp, on top of the Bisie hill. FEBRUARY 2018 21